Designing responsible digital public spaces: a strategic guide to value-driven initiatives
As our world becomes more digital, the spaces that connect us digitally need to be designed responsibly. That's why Waag developed a Responsible Business Model Canvas: a strategic tool and workshop methodology used to develop public value-based business models, specifically tailored to initiatives focused on developing digital public spaces. The canvas encourages a holistic approach to a business model, taking not only financial aspects into account, but also social or environmental impacts.
Values as the foundation
Based on Alexander Osterwalder's traditional business model canvas, Waag Futurelab has translated it into value-driven business models for digital public spaces. Most importantly, the canvas supports formulating your fundamental values as a company, while also considering social and ecological impact.
The values you define with the canvas act as the foundation on which the rest of your business strategy can be built. You make choices based on your fundamental values and look at both your company and the network around it through this lens.
This helps, for example, in creating a network that, like your company, is based on public values. By being explicit about the values that serve as the foundation for your business plan, this forms the basis for cooperation with all stakeholders - from suppliers and partners to customers. In doing so, the canvas provides a clear measure of accountability: because stakeholders are familiar with the values, they are better able to judge the business against them. Similarly, the canvas helps you secure values in the design of your organisation's technical infrastructure, form of governance and financial structure.
The aim of Waag is to help existing (digital) enterprises and start-ups through the use of the Responsible Business Model Canvas and the supporting workshop methodology to define their fundamental values, create open and inclusive communities and build tech ecosystems that are aligned with their organisation's beliefs and core values.
Both the canvas and the workshop methodology are open-source: with a Creative Commons licence, they may be downloaded for free and used for your own purposes and within your own organisation. Would you like help or guidance from Waag Futurelab on a co-creation workshop? If so, please send an email to marit [at] waag [dot] org.
The Responsible Business Model Canvas and accompanying workshop methodology were developed in collaboration with the Hogeschool van Amsterdam and funded by ClickNL.
